Why the Future of Digital Marketing Jobs is Bright

Why the Future of Digital Marketing Jobs is Bright

Wal-Mart’s announcement that it expects full year sales to be flat and earnings to decline in fiscal 2017 was one of those watershed moments that digital marketers will be talking about for months to come. To be clear, Wal-Mart stated that most of its forecast reduction would be due to the stronger dollar, increased operating costs and other investment. But at the same time, the retailer affirmed its commitment to the web with plans to spend another $1B in ecommerce and digital platforms, which will mean a ton of new digital marketing jobs.

Translation: “Amazon is threatening to eat our lunch”

While WalMart’s stock was tanking in response to that announcement, share prices of other big brick and mortar retailers sank right along in unison. This was a major shot across their collective bows, and the future of seamless omnichannel marketing just got a nice boost, along with the future outlook for digital marketing jobs.

Given it’s sheer size, one could argue that Wal-Mart is something of a proxy for the U.S. economy. If that’s true, then its announced investment plans in ecommerce is a wave changer. I certainly can’t address this from a stock analyst perspective, or even as a practicing ecommerce chief. I’m an executive recruiter in this space. But if WalMart is going to be shifting that kind of spend towards digital, I can already see the title of memos soon going out from the C-suite to marketing departments at Target, Costco and the other big name retailers: “Need to discuss digital marketing needs.”

One year ago I wrote a post entitled, “Thinking about Careers in Ecommerce and Digital Marketing? The Time is Now!” I stated that because of enduring economic and social forces, we are at the very early stages of a golden era of digital marketing jobs employment for those who sell and market products and services over the web, and the battle to lure the best talent available is just beginning. Still true. I stated that the need to fill digital marketing jobs has become so intense that the inability of many companies to staff high performance digital marketing teams is costing them business. Still true. The calls and emails are coming not just from e-tailers. I’m hearing from employers in consumer package goods, industrial manufacturing, insurance, you name it, any industry that knows it must, to some degree, have a digital presence

Digital marketing is still in the very early innings of a golden era of employment, and WalMart’s announcement has just made the game more exciting.

Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is one of the nation’s preeminent and veteran executive recruiters in ecommerce, digital and multichannel marketing, and CRM. With 80 published LinkedIn articles, Jerry is the “voice” of best practices in the recruitment and hiring of ecommerce and digital marketing professionals. Jerry is also the author of the critically acclaimed book, “Careers in Ecommerce and Digital Marketing,” on Amazon, and participates in many leading digital marketing and ecommerce conferences. Jerry has been recruiting and placing marketing professionals for more than 28 years. Check out Jerry’s other insights on the Thought Leadership section of the Bernhart Associates website.

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Jerry Bernhart is founder and principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a preeminent executive search firm specializing in multichannel direct marketing, digital marketing, ecommerce and CRM, serving clients ranging from start ups to Fortune 50. Jerry Bernhart is a recognized thought leader and widely followed LinkedIn writer and blogger on recruitment and talent development in these highly specialized marketing disciplines, and is author of the critically acclaimed "Careers in eCommerce and Digital Marketing," the first book of its kind on career preparation and present/future opportunities within the major specialties of ecommerce and digital marketing.
Jerry's writings and interviews on best practices in hiring and talent management appear throughout the web. He is a frequent presenter at leading online-marketing related conferences and webinars, and he is also a contributing author to MarketingProfs, Internet Retailer, Forrester, Loyalty360, DM News, AdAge, Multichannel Merchant, Target Marketing and many others. Jerry has placed more than 650 B2C and B2B marketers with clients of all sizes and across all major industries since 1990.
Jerry's blog features insights and fresh perspectives from one of the nation's top recruiters in digital, ecommerce and multichannel direct marketing.